THE GIRLS SAT AROUND a bedroom at home that night reliving the fight and nursing their wounds. “How dare they move on me like that? Them bum-ass bitches couldn’t even jump me right,” Kat bragged. “They wuz hittin’ each other more than they did me … I swear da next time I see dat fuckin’ slut Cookie, it’s on and poppin’! … She could be wit her great grandmother comin’ from church, I don’t care. We gonna thump.”

“Let dat shit ride,” Goldie said. “It’s not dat serious. Dat bitch ain’t even worth all da drama.”

Kat shot Goldie a venomous look. “Goldie, who da fuck side iz you on? Minez or theirz? You ’pose to rock wit me on whateva I decide to do. Fuck dat peacemaker shit!…. I ain’t lettin’ shit slide! Dem dirty bitches ain’t gonna jump me and get away wit it. Oh, hell, no! They want trouble, now they got it …”

“… And what da fuck you call yaself doin’ tanite?” Kat questioned her. “Throwin’ those li’l weak-ass punches. You shoulda wilded out and grabbed a chair or somethin’, and wore somebody’s ass out. You see what Tender did!”

“Look how small she iz,” Tender said in defense of Goldie. “She could only do so much against those big bitches.”

“Yeah, you gotta point there,” Kat conceded. “But I’m sayin’—”

“It’s all good! Nobody got hurt, Tender interrupted. And like one a my home girls use ta say, sometimes you gotta run, run, run away, live ta fight another day ….”

“Umm, huh. I hear whatcha sayin’,” Kat replied. “Dat shit sound good. But I’ma soldier. I grew up rumblin’. I can’t do too much runnin’ or takin’ els. I’ma win by all means necessary. I don’t care if I gotta scratch a bitch eyes out or bite her fuckin’ nose off. Kat gotta come out on top …. I’m tryin’ ta tell Mrs. Softee here to go all out too. Size don’t matter. It ain’t the size of da dog in da fight. It’s the size of da fight in da dog.”

“Well, next time,” Goldie began, lying, “I’ll remember that and try my best ta hurt somethin’.”

“Next time? …” Kat said. “Fa ya sake, betta not be no next time.”

Then Tender got up and stretched, signaling her sleepiness. She had seen and heard enough drama for the day.

“… You musta read my mind.” Kat sat up in her chair. “I’m tired as fuck!”

“Me, too!” Goldie added.

“I’m outta here,” Kat said. “Tamorrow …”

When she was out of earshot, Goldie burst out laughing. “Ah, haa! Dat bitch got her ass kicked! Good fa her! …”

Tender stared at her, “Yo, what’s so funny?” she asked. “Any one of us could have been hurt.”